Responsive Classroom

Responsive Classroom

Guiding Principles

*The social curriculum is as important as the academic curriculum.

*How children learn is as important as what they learn: Process and content go hand in hand.

*The greatest cognitive growth occurs through social interaction.

*To be successful academically and socially, children need a set of social skills: cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, and self-control

*Knowing the children we teach–individually, culturally, and developmentally–is as important as knowing the content we teach.

*Knowing the families of the children we teach and working with them as partners is essential to children's education.

*How the adults at school work together is as important as their individual competence.

 

Teaching Guidelines

Morning Meeting: A daily routine that builds community, creates a positive climate for learning, and reinforces academic and social skills.

Rules and Logical Consequences: A clear and consistent approach to discipline that fosters responsibility and self-control.

Guided Discovery: A format for introducing materials that encourages inquiry, heightens interest, and teaches care of the school environment.

Academic Choice: An approach to giving children choices in their learning that helps them become invested, self-motivated learners.

Classroom Organization: Strategies for arranging materials, furniture, and displays to encourage independence, promote caring, and maximize learning.

Working with Families: Ideas for involving families as true partners in their children's education.

 

*For more info, go to www.responsiveclassroom.org